Canadiens Recall Four Players
The Montreal Canadiens announced today that they have recalled four players from their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket: Forwards Owen Beck and Florian Xhekaj, as well as defensemen Adam Engström and David Reinbacher.
The Rocket were eliminated from the Calder Cup Playoffs yesterday, falling in the fifth game of their best-of-five North Division Semifinal against the Toronto Marlies.
These recalls help reinforce the depth of the Canadiens roster as they look to continue their push towards the Eastern Conference Final. Montreal took a 2-1 series lead against the Buffalo Sabres last night, courtesy of a 6-2 win in game three. Game four of the series is Tuesday night in Montreal.
These four players represent some of the best of the Canadiens’ organizational depth, and notably, none of the players recalled are even 23 years old. Beck and Engström were added to the Canadiens organization at the 2022 draft, part of a haul that has already become franchise-changing. Reinbacher was the No. 5 overall pick at the 2023 draft and Xhekaj, who is the younger brother of Canadiens blueliner Arber Xhekaj, was picked in the fourth round that year.
The player that is most immediately NHL-ready is likely Engström, a 22-year-old Swedish defenseman. After he was drafted in 2022, Engström spent two years developing at the professional level in his native Sweden playing for Rögle BK. In 2024, he crossed the Atlantic and made his debut in the Canadiens organization, playing in 66 games for the Laval Rocket.
Engström has had a stellar 2025-26 season, scoring 10 goals and 34 points in 45 games for the Rocket while also earning 15 NHL games with the Canadiens. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic rated Engström as the No. 6 prospect in Montreal’s system, calling him someone who “could become a No. 5-6” defenseman “with some modern elements” to his game.
The Canadiens’ defense already skews to left-shot blueliners, which means he faces stiffer competition in his efforts to land a full-time role in Montreal. That’s not the case for Reinbacher, the team’s No. 4 prospect according to Wheeler. Reinbacher is a big right-shot defenseman who plays a composed, steady game. Persistent injury issues have slowed the pace of his development, putting him behind some of his peers from the 2023 draft class. But he had a strong season playing in all situations in Laval and should be a real contender for an NHL role next fall.
Beck, 22, is Montreal’s No. 7 prospect according to Wheeler and is, like the two defensemen, on the cusp of making the leap to the NHL on a more permanent basis.
A hard-working two-way center, Beck scored 15 goals and 44 points in 64 games as an AHL rookie last season, and scored 13 goals and 33 points in 58 games this year.
He also added five points in five playoff games this season. Beck already has 28 NHL games under his belt and could push for a bottom-six role in training camp.
The fourth player recalled was Xhekaj, a forward who is one of Montreal’s faster-rising prospects. He was picked in the fourth round despite scoring just 25 points in his draft campaign in the OHL. But the Canadiens saw something in the forward that gave them the confidence to draft him in that round despite relatively low offensive numbers. Co-director of amateur scouting Nick Bobrov called Xhekaj a “unicorn” during the team’s pre-draft process.
Since being selected, all Xhekaj has done is reward the team’s faith in him. He became a point-per-game OHL scorer and had a strong rookie pro campaign with the Rocket in 2024-25, scoring 24 goals and 35 points. He also added 175 penalty minutes. This past year, Xhekaj scored 17 goals and 29 points, racking up 182 penalty minutes. His blend of size, physicality, and goal-scoring ability gives him a chance to become a well-liked bottom-six forward in the NHL.
All four skaters recalled today by the Canadiens are players who could very well play a role in the NHL next season. They represent the next wave of youthful NHL reinforcements the Canadiens are set to receive, fruits of a rebuild that already appears to be paying off. While none is particularly likely to draw into the lineup during this run, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see some – or all – of these faces in the NHL at this time next year.
Photos courtesy of Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Philadelphia Flyers Recall Jett Luchanko
The Philadelphia Flyers announced that top prospect Jett Luchanko has been recalled from his OHL team, the Brantford Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs recently lost in game seven of the OHL’s Eastern Conference Final to the Barrie Colts, ending their season. That has freed Luchanko to join the Flyers as a (likely) reserve player. The Flyers’ AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, did not qualify for the postseason.
The Flyers have lost the first two games of their series against the Carolina Hurricanes, and a loss tomorrow would push them to the brink of elimination. As a result, it is highly unlikely Luchanko actually gets to dress for games on this recall, but there is nonetheless some value in him getting the chance to join the Flyers in the midst of their run.
The 19-year-old is one of Philadelphia’s very best prospects. He was selected No. 13 overall at the 2024 draft, and has made the Flyers’ main roster out of training camp in back-to-back seasons. Each year, Luchanko has been reassigned back to junior hockey after playing in four NHL games.
Luchanko didn’t have the best season in the OHL this year, scoring 50 points in 53 combined regular-season and playoff contests across two different OHL teams. It’s not always the best sign for such a highly-drafted forward prospect to be scoring at below a point-per-game rate in the CHL a full two years after he was drafted, but Luchanko’s game has always been about more than just scoring. Elite Prospects, who ranked Luchanko as the No. 30 prospect in the NHL entering the season, called the forward a “mature defensive player” and “high-floor prospect.”
Now, as his junior season has come to a close, Luchanko will get the chance to soak in as much as he can by joining the Flyers for their playoff run.
Transaction Notes: Koblar, Liukas, Sekac
Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Tinus Luc Koblar will exit his club Leksands IF as a result of their relegation to Sweden’s second tier, the HockeyAllsvenskan. Koblar is a 2025 second-round pick of the club and was Toronto’s highest selection of its 2025 draft class. He was ranked as the No. 4 prospect in Toronto’s system by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, who called Koblar a “big, strong, sturdy center who can skate.”
Koblar is coming off of a solid first season since being drafted. Although the lack of success found by his club was undoubtedly disappointing, he had a strong year individually. He made his professional debut for Leksands and managed to stick with the club’s senior team for most of the season, scoring eight goals and 14 points in 47 games. As an 18-year-old who found a way to hold down a full-season role in one of Europe’s best leagues, Koblar could very well have an NHL future ahead of him, though scouts such as Wheeler project that future to be somewhere on an NHL team’s fourth line.
Other transactions from the European leagues:
- New York Islanders prospect Eetu Liukas has elected to return to Europe after a three-year run playing professional hockey in North America. Liukas, 23, was a fifth-round pick of the Islanders, No. 157 overall. Liukas spent two years playing in the Finnish Liiga on a full-time basis after being drafted, before heading to North America in 2023. He spent three years with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders, but didn’t make huge progress. This past season, he scored 10 points in 24 games, and now he will continue his career back in Finland. He signed a contract with Liiga side HIFK Helsinki, on a deal stretching until the end of the 2027-28 campaign.
- Former NHLer Jiri Sekac, who once upon a time represented the Montreal Canadiens at an All-Star game (in a spot designated for rookies) has signed a contract to return to his native Czechia. His deal is with HC Sparta Praha, who play out of the Czech capital. Sekac has had an extensive professional career in Europe but hasn’t played in the Extraliga since a 21-game loan to Sparta Praha in 2012-13. A two-time KHL Gagarin Cup champion, Sekac has spent the last half-decade of his career in Switzerland, including the last two years with HC Lugano.
Team Canada Notes: Bouchard, Nurse, McKenna, Whitecloud
A pair of Edmonton Oilers defensemen are going to represent Canada at the upcoming IIHF Men’s World Championships: Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse. (Reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger) The addition of Bouchard gives Canada a player who could very well end up the top offensive defenseman at the tournament. The 26-year-old is coming off of a season where he scored a career-high 21 goals and 95 points. The addition of Nurse gives Canada another NHL top-four defenseman with extensive playoff experience. Nurse averaged 20:58 time on ice per game this season, No. 2 on the Oilers.
Bouchard has yet to represent Canada as a professional, but represented his country in international tournaments in junior hockey. He was part of Team Canada at the World Juniors in the 2018-19 season though his team lost in the quarterfinals. Nurse, on the other hand, has represented Canada at two World Championships: 2018 and 2019. Canada lost the bronze medal to the United States in Nurse’s first trip to the tournament, and won a silver medal in his second.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Top 2026 NHL draft prospect Gavin McKenna will not join Team Canada for the upcoming tournament, reversing earlier reports that indicated he would. TSN’s Darren Dreger reported the decision as a group choice meant to allow McKenna to focus his attention on the upcoming scouting combine. McKenna has long been considered the front-runner to go No. 1 overall at this year’s draft, though Corey Pronman of The Athletic recently characterized the race for No. 1 as being more wide-open.
- Another defenseman will join the Canadian entry into IIHF Worlds: Calgary Flames blueliner Zach Whitecloud, as reported by Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg. This won’t be the 29-year-old blueliner’s first trip to the World Championships. He represented Canada at the 2022 tournament, scoring four points in 10 games for a Canada team that fell in overtime in the gold medal game against Finland.
Wild To Start Filip Gustavsson In Game 2
The Minnesota Wild are making a change in their crease: the team plans to start Filip Gustavsson tonight for the second game of their series against the Colorado Avalanche. Gustavsson replaces Jesper Wallstedt, who surrendered eight goals in the team’s 9-6 loss to Colorado in game one.
Head coach John Hynes told the media, including The Athletic’s Michael Russo and Joe Smith, that there were a “multitude of reasons” factoring into the decision. He said that while both goalies are “excellent,” he views game two as “a good opportunity to get [Gustavsson] in the net.” Hynes characterized Gustavsson has “hungry” to get back on the ice.
Hynes made a point to emphasize that this move is not an indictment of Wallstedt’s performance in the playoffs. The 23-year-old posted a .916 save percentage in 35 games in the regular season, and has a .903 save percentage in seven playoff games.
Gustavsson, 27, is the veteran (relatively speaking) in the Wild crease. He’s been the team’s No. 1 goalie for a few seasons now, having developed into the role first as part of a tandem with Marc-Andre Fleury.
In the 2025-26 regular season, he posted a .904 save percentage in 50 games. Last season, he had a .914 save percentage in 58 games, landing him in sixth place in Vezina Trophy voting and even earning him down-ballot Hart Trophy votes.
Unlike Wallstedt, Gustavsson brings prior experience in the NHL playoffs. He’s made a total of 11 starts in the postseason, and while he’s only collected four wins, he does have a solid .917 save percentage in those contests.
The Wild will need to find a way to keep the puck out of the net to tie the series against Colorado, but injuries suffered by Jonas Brodin and Joel Eriksson Ek, neither of whom traveled with the team, makes that task a more difficult one.
Metro Notes: Cates, Tippett, Nikishin
Philadelphia Flyers center Noah Cates‘ availability for game three against the Carolina Hurricanes appears to be in question after he appeared to suffer a foot injury in game two. Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Cates was seen after game two “trundled on a cart down a hallway” and “holding a walking boot that would have fit his right foot.” The Flyers did not have an official update on Cates’ status.
If Cates is indeed unavailable for the Flyers’ next game, which is on Thursday, it would represent a significant blow to the team’s hopes of getting back on their feet in their second-round series. The Flyers put up a valiant effort against Carolina yesterday but fell in overtime, and risk being pushed to the brink of elimination with a loss Thursday. Cates, 27, isn’t a star in Philadelphia but he still plays a key role in head coach Rick Tocchet’s lineup. He last slotted in as the No. 2 center between Tyson Foerster and Matvei Michkov, and he plays on both sides of special teams. He has four points in eight playoff games, and scored a career-high 18 goals and 47 points in the regular season.
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- Flyers winger Owen Tippett didn’t play in game two as he remains sidelined with an undisclosed injury. His status is considered day-to-day, so it will be important to track his availability for game three given the importance of the game to the Flyers’ hopes to win the series. The speedy 27-year-old tied a career-high with 28 goals in the regular season and neared his career-high with 51 points.
- Carolina Hurricanes rookie defenseman Alexander Nikishin has officially been cleared to return after missing two games with a concussion. Nikishin was previously paired with veteran Shayne Gostisbehere, a role that has since gone to veteran Mike Reilly. Nikishin scored 11 goals and 33 points in a strong first regular season in the NHL, averaging 18:11 time on ice per game along the way.
Islanders Promote Rocky Thompson To Assistant Coach
The New York Islanders announced the hire of Rocky Thompson as an assistant coach for the staff of head coach Peter DeBoer.
Thompson’s hire is a promotion from the AHL, where he has served as the head coach of the Islanders’ affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders. Thompson’s tenure with the AHL Islanders will now end after one season.
The Calgary native took over in Bridgeport in the wake of a disastrous 2024-25 season. Bridgeport went 15-50-7, easily the worst record in the AHL. The team won just four home games all season. This year, under Thompson’s leadership, Bridgeport improved significantly. The Islanders went 34-30-8, reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2021-22.
Before he took over in Bridgeport, Thompson was an assistant coach for the Philadelphia Flyers, on the staff of John Tortorella. His other experience in the NHL includes time as an assistant coach for the San Jose Sharks and Edmonton Oilers.
Outside of the NHL, Thompson has found some success. He was head coach of the Windsor Spitfires team that won the Memorial Cup in 2016-17, and won another Memorial Cup as a team consultant for the Saint John Sea Dogs in 2022.
Sharks Sign Patrick Giles To Two-Year Extension
The San Jose Sharks have signed forward Patrick Giles to a two-year contract extension, per a team release.
According to PuckPedia, the deal carries an $875K cap hit. Giles will earn an $850K NHL salary in 2026/27, a $250K AHL salary, and receive a $325K guarantee. In 2027/28, the deal will carry a $900K NHL salary, $300K AHL salary, and $375K guarantee.
The 26-year-old, who is repped by Shawn Hunwick of The·Team, was set to become a Group-VI unrestricted free agent in the summer. Giles’ expiring contract was a two-year, two-way pact signed in June 2024. 
Giles’ last deal paid him a league-minimum NHL salary in both years, with a $100K AHL salary in year one and a $150K AHL salary in year two. The deal also contained $132.5K and $180K guarantees in years one and two, respectively.
By re-signing Giles, the Sharks have gained some continuity in the lower portion of their depth chart.
The former Boston College forward has never been a big point producer – his 24 points in 67 AHL contests this season represent a career-high – but despite that fact he has still been able to earn call-ups to the NHL.
Over the past two years, Giles has earned the right to dress for 20 contests at the game’s highest level. Over that same amount of time, two years, he has produced just 35 combined points in the AHL.
What has made Giles a useful part of the Sharks organization, and the Florida Panthers before that, has been his versatility, work ethic, and defensive responsibility. He was the Barracuda’s top penalty-killing forward this season, and has even gotten a little bit of time on the penalty kill at the NHL level.
It’s that combination of useful traits that has made Giles the kind of depth player the Sharks clearly want to keep around. His defense-first style is such that coaches can trust him as a call-up option to fill in a fourth-line role when injuries hit.
Giles can give a team eight minutes of responsible, mistake-limiting hockey, and there is value in a forward who can do that even if his scoring is going to be limited. The Sharks must agree, as they have invested in Giles, at an increased cost, for another two seasons.
Photos courtesy of David Gonzales-Imagn Images
Lightning Notes: Raddysh, Kucherov, O’Reilly
The Tampa Bay Lightning have a pivotal offseason ahead of them as they look to rebound after a fourth consecutive first-round series loss, and one of the key situations they have to manage is the pending unrestricted free agency of defenseman Darren Raddysh. In his exit day media availability, GM Julien Brisebois said (via the Tampa Bay Times’ Eduardo A. Encina) that he has “already reached out to” Raddysh’s agent, Craig Oster of Newport. Brisebois said he and Oster have “been in touch throughout the second half of the year, just sharing concepts, ideas” on what a contract extension might look like.
Raddysh has lined himself up to receive a massive pay raise this summer. In a free agent market notably thin on difference-making talent, Raddysh is the best defenseman, and arguably best overall player, set to be available. He took over for Victor Hedman as Tampa’s top power play option and No. 1 defenseman, producing 22 goals and 70 points in 73 games. As a 30-year-old undrafted player, he’s set to receive a life-changing contract at some point this summer. Based on what Brisebois said today, it appears the Lightning are hoping that contract comes from them.
Other notes from Tampa Bay:
- Brisebois also addressed the future of future Hall of Fame forward Nikita Kucherov, who is set to enter the final year of his contract in 2026-27. He said of Kucherov: “I foresee him staying in our organization for a very long time,” and added that he will, “in due time,” engage with Kucherov’s agent on extension talks. Kucherov is repped by Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey. The 32-year-old scored 44 goals and 130 points in the regular season, and produced six points in seven postseason contests.
- Lightning prospect Sam O’Reilly was named the winner of the Red Tilson Trophy today, an honor awarded to the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player. The 2024 first-rounder, 20, scored 71 points in 56 games this season, and had 22 points in 14 playoff games. He was acquired by the Lightning from the Edmonton Oilers this past summer in the deal that sent Ike Howard to Alberta. Brisebois hinted today at a belief that O’Reilly may already be close to NHL-ready, saying the prospect “probably won’t need that much time in order to be able to come here and contribute.”
Latest On Auston Matthews’ Maple Leafs Future
The Athletic’s Chris Johnston has reported, citing league sources, that Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews “still isn’t sure if he’ll be back in Toronto in the fall.”
What this means, according to Johnston, is that Toronto’s freshly-hired hockey operations leaders, GM John Chayka and senior advisor Mats Sundin, “will be auditioning” to keep Matthews “with their work around draft week in late June and the opening of free agency on July 1.”
Matthews reportedly has “some understandable concerns” about the Maple Leafs’ ability to vault back to their prior status as a team legitimately capable of contending for a Stanley Cup.
What Matthews appears to be looking for from the Maple Leafs is “real action,” meaning tangible transactions that meaningfully improve the caliber of the roster Matthews currently occupies a spot on.
Chayka and Sundin will meet with Matthews at some point in the coming weeks to discuss his future, but a firm decision on where he’s leaning is not expected at that time.
Whether the new leadership will be able to make enough changes to turn around the Maple Leafs, who finished 28th in the NHL just a year after finishing fourth in the standings, is the key question.
The upcoming class of free agents is widely considered to be thin on difference-making talent, and the team’s prospect pool (which ranked No. 29 in the NHL according to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler) isn’t overflowing with valuable trade chips.
Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t avenues for the Maple Leafs to make significant improvements. Every summer, there are unheralded signings or trade additions that end up making a big impact in the years to come. But what it does mean is the Maple Leafs don’t have an abundance of obvious routes back to contention.
In most cases, that’s totally fine. Hockey operations leaders almost always more interested in moves that translate to wins on the ice in the winter, not wins in the headlines in the summer.
But in Toronto’s case, the scarcity of available big-name talent might genuinely matter. If their most immediate, pressing task is convincing Matthews they can quickly rebound and return to contention, working the margins of the roster and relying on savvy moves for undervalued players may not be enough to move the needle.
It’s too early to tell whether the Maple Leafs will ultimately be successful in their efforts for a quick turnaround. But Johnston’s reporting is still significant, as it indicates that the future of Toronto’s best player is far from set in stone.
Photos courtesy of John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images